Cowboys' recent position change news raises risk for team veteran
During the first practice available to the media on Thursday, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph was working on a position we've not seen him play a whole lot since he arrived on the team as a second-round pick in 2021: Nickel cornerback. It's a change he probably absolutely needs as the team has seemingly seen […]
During the first practice available to the media on Thursday, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph was working on a position we've not seen him play a whole lot since he arrived on the team as a second-round pick in 2021: Nickel cornerback.
It's a change he probably absolutely needs as the team has seemingly seen enough of him on the outside. In 2022, things got to a point in which he became a full-time special-teamer with only a 14% snap count on defense, per Pro Football Reference. Two years after drafting him, the team felt the need to trade for Stephon Gilmore to address an urgent need in his position.
Not all is bad for Joseph, however. After all, he's become somewhat of a special teams ace with a 66% snap count on John Fassel's unit and several standout moments. Now, he's taking on the challenge of trying out in the slot.
If he's to stick around for a third year with the Cowboys, he'll probably have to make it work. This, however, isn't a Kelvin Joseph article. It's about a team veteran who's directly impacted by the news: Jourdan Lewis.
It's easy to forget with the Gilmore trade and with DaRon Bland's impressive rookie season but Lewis proved to be very solid in one of the toughest positions in the sport for consecutive years in 2020-2021 before suffering a foot injury against the Detroit Lions early in 2022.
With zero dollars in guaranteed money headed into this season, his seat was already warm entering the offseason. Joseph sneaking into the rotation at nickel doesn't help his case.
If Bland is the projected starter, there's probably room for one nickel backup on a defense that trusts hybrid defenders like Jayron Kearse to man the slot, as well. Lewis will have to make his case that he still has what made him the starter in back-to-back seasons for the Cowboys.
Lewis might even need to get his hands dirty with some special teams work. He hasn't been a participant since 2019 before he became a full-time starter. As of right now, I'm willing to put my money on him being higher than Joseph.
However, Joseph might give him a run for his money this offseason.
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